The Road Home
by equinedreams
Summary: Amy is driving Ty home after bailing him out of jail. What holds them back from making any progress in their conversations? Set after 8x08. Contains spoilers if you haven't seen the episode.
1. Chapter 1

This is a one-shot set after 8x08.(((Contains spoilers from 8x08))) This is after Amy takes Caleb home from jail and now she is taking Ty home. I thought having this sort of scene in the episode would have been nice so I wrote one. :) I can't decide if it's dumb or not so let me know if you liked it or not.

The Ride Home:

"All my senses come to life while I'm stumbling home as drunk as I have ever been and I'll never leave again 'cause you are the only one."-One by: Ed Sheeran

Amy waited until Caleb slammed the car door shut and stumbled off before driving off. She and Ty were sitting silently in the car.

Ty had called Amy after he and Caleb had gotten put in the slammer. They had been involved in a bar fight with Jesse Stanton and had both had a few too many drinks.

Ty sat very still, feeling his head throbbing. He was resisting the urge to throw up as the truck lurched over a pothole in the road. All he could think about was getting in bed and sleeping the hangover off.

Meanwhile, Amy drove, keeping her eyes straight on the road. She already slightly regretted calling Caleb and Ty "idiots". It was a bit harsh considering she didn't even know what happened, and she still didn't.

"Ty..." She started, trying to sound more friendly, "What exactly *happened* last night?" He shifted slightly and said, "Well...it's kind of a long story."

Amy couldn't hold back her sigh, thinking that Ty didn't want to talk to her about it and he was going to leave it at that. Surprisingly, he continued.

"Caleb and I were supposed to be there celebrating a sale with our horse business. I had just told him that I wanted out of the partnership when Cassandra walked up. Caleb started flirting with her and she said she had a boyfriend."

Amy listened intently, although she tried to make it seem that she was nonchalant about the whole thing. "And the boyfriend was Jesse Stanton." Ty said.

Amy couldn't believe it. "Jesse Stanton!" She exclaimed. "Yeah. Anyway, he and Caleb struck up some kind of deal even though I told him not to, and then Jesse punched me."

"Punched you?! Why?" Amy asked. Ty shrugged. He didn't say anything for a long while and then he said, "I guess trying to get me back for that time I punched him so long ago. That's what he said anyway."

They were both silent for a while. Amy was disappointed in Ty, but she found it difficult to be mad at him. After all, Jesse had punched him first. "And then Caleb started beating up and you can imagine the rest." Ty said.

Amy glanced sideways at him. He was looking out of the window. "Well...I'm just glad you got someone to pick you up." She said. "That was stupid, letting a fight go on like that."

Ty didn't respond until Amy was driving around a curve in the road. He suddenly gripped onto the door handle and turned a funny shade. "Amy..." He said. "Pull over please."

Amy did, bringing the car to an abrupt stop by the side of the road. Ty jumped out. A few seconds later, Amy heard the sounds of him vomiting. She winced, feeling the urge to do...something...anything to help him, but not knowing how or what.

So she just sat there until he climbed back in, looking pale and tired. "Are you okay?" She asked him as he sloppily put his seatbelt back on. "Yeah, yeah." He murmured.

But he put his head in his hands and kept it that way until Amy pulled up at the trailer. "Here we are." She said. She looked over at Ty, wanting to say something but not knowing if he was sober enough to be able to hear it.

"Thanks for bailing us out and driving me home." Ty said. "Sure." Amy said after a pause. "Just don't get yourself in dumb situations like that again. I'm not always going to be around to bail you out."

He opened the car door. "Well, thanks anyway." He said, and for a few seconds he just looked at her. For those quick seconds Amy could see the vulnerability in his eyes, the kindness, and she wanted to tell him exactly how she felt: she loved him, and missed him, and just wanted to feel him in her arms again. Couldn't they be back together? She couldn't stand this any longer.

Instead she said, "Bye." Ty nodded shortly, his bloodshot eyes going back to closed-off and guarded, and she watched as he walked inside the trailer. Then she left, feeling an ache deep down that she couldn't ignore.


	2. Chapter 2

So this was going to be a one-shot be someone suggested me adding another chapter onto it so here it is. :) This was difficult for me to write, not the actual writing, but just the plot I came up with. If I continue it, I'm not sure where I'll go with it. Thanks for reading!

Chapter Two:

"Just give me a reason, just a little bit's enough. Just a second, we're not broken just bent." -Just Give Me a Reason by: P!NK

Amy turned the truck into the Heartland driveway, a long days' work ahead of her. She felt unusually weary, like she wasn't ready to walk into that barn and face training the client horses.

Sighing, she put the truck in park and just sat there for a few minutes. The way Ty had looked at her just before heading to the trailer...he wanted something more from her, she now realized. What, she didn't know.

She had an idea. One that she wasn't quite sure of, but she went ahead with it anyway. Going inside, she said hello to Jack, who was eating breakfast.

"Hey, Amy." He replied, looking up at her. "Where did you go?" Amy hadn't told anyone about Ty calling her to bail them out of jail. "Uh...just run an errand." She said. She didn't want Jack to get angry at Ty and Caleb or to have to have a long conversation with him about it.

He didn't seem to question her answer. Amy walked over the coffeepot and checked the contents. It was half full. "Grandpa, can I take the rest of this coffee?"

"Sure." He said, but he was looking at her, wondering. Rarely did Amy drink coffee. "I'm just in the mood for a cup or two today." She explained quickly.

She poured the coffee into a big thermos and grabbed a carton of muffins off the top of the fridge. "Bye, I'll be back in a while." She said as she hurried out the door.

Starting to drive, she took a deep breath. This couldn't be that hard, right?

She walked up to the door of Ty's trailer. The shades were drawn and all the lights were turned off, and Amy vaguely wondered if he had classes or work today. She knocked on the door.

No one answered. She knocked harder, feeling a bit guilty if she woke him up. But she needed to say these things, and besides, if he slept all day it would only make it worse.

Ty finally came to the door, dressed only in a pair of boxers. He squinted at the sunlight, trying to form a clear vision of the person standing before him. "Amy?" He said, realizing who it was.

"Hi," She said, a little conscious that Ty wasn't fully dressed. "I'm sorry for waking you up. I just...I brought you coffee and muffins." It came to her that she sounded dumb and that Ty probably wasn't completely comprehending what she said.

But he let her in anyway. She sat down nervously on the bench by the table and waited while he pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Then he came and sat down across from her.

"What is it, really?" He asked. So he had comprehended what she said. He had a clear mind after all. This made Amy feel a bit better as she placed the food on the table.

"I just...I felt bad for those things I said when I came to bail you out." She said. He shook his head vaguely. "I get it, Amy." He said.

His eyes had that guarded look in them again. It made Amy fearful, and she swallowed hard, wondering if she should have even come. "No...I don't think you do." She said.

He just stared at her and she continued. "I was just...hurt, okay. At first I was happy because you called me and then...I don't know." Still, he stared at her, saying nothing.

"Ty, I can't figure out what you want from me." She said, feeling frustrated with his lack of response. "I think you'll have to figure that out for yourself." Ty said. He stared down at his hands, speaking quietly.

Amy stood up and paced around the room for a second before saying anything. "Is this about Ahmed?" She asked. "Because I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have told you." She turned to face him; gauge his reaction.

His face was carefully expressionless. "Ty," She said, "I was scared. I was scared I would lose you, don't you see? I wanted to tell you but I was afraid to."

"Why were you afraid?" He asked. "Because! Because it freaked me out. Ahmed wouldn't listen to me and back off and I thought maybe you wouldn't believe me. Plus we hadn't talked regularly in a while..."

He said nothing and Amy could feel the facade that she was perfectly fine; that the break didn't bother her, start to crumble within her. She turned around quickly, feeling tears threatening. She felt she wasn't getting anywhere.

When she felt herself to be composed, she turned back around. "I just don't know what more I can say." She said. "I will gladly tell you everything that happened in Europe..."

"No." Ty said. "I don't want to hear it." He looked at her closely for a few moments, his green eyes searching hers. "Amy," He said. "This break isn't all about Ahmed. Sure, it was kind of humiliating to find out that another man told your fiancée that he was in love with her at the dinner table with all of her family."

"But it isn't just about that. It's about knowing what you want. Knowing when you want it." "I do know what I want." Amy said, her voice low. "I told you that already."

Ty shook his head. "You just don't get it, Amy." He said. "This needs to be certain. You're going to be marrying me...spending the rest of your life of me, right?"

Amy just stared at him, not knowing how to respond at first. "Yes." She murmured. "Then you need to know exactly what you want. Is living in Hudson your whole life, the wife of a small-town vet, enough for you? Or do you want more? Because I don't know if I will be able to give you that."

Ty looked away. She saw the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, and she felt numb. When he turned back to her, she saw his face looked very drawn and sad. "I don't want to hold you back, Amy. That's all. Plus, I don't like you keeping secrets from

me."

She just stood there, feeling as if her feet were rooted to the ground. "Want a cup of coffee?" He asked her amicably, the tone of his voice changing as he poured himself a cup.

"Um..." She hadn't answered before Ty poured her a cup. "Here," he said, extending the cup in her direction. It was supposed to be her making sure he was alright after his hangover, and now he was making sure she was alright.

She sat down, feeling the overwhelming urge to cry but not wanting to in front of Ty. She held the cup and took a tiny sip. It was hot; burning the back of her throat.

She stared at the tabletop, not knowing how to make any sense of any of this. Why didn't Ty know that he was the one she wanted?

Ty seemed to sense her internal turmoil. He reached across the table and grasped her hand. Her skin tingled from finally being able to touch him again. "Amy," He said, looking her straight in the eyes, "I miss you, too."

She gathered he was referring to that time when they had met on the road. Amy said she had missed him and he had said, "Take care of yourself," leaving Amy confused.

"But that just isn't enough." He said. He let go of her hand and Amy stood up. She couldn't take this anymore or she was going to starting crying.

"I've got to go." She said. "I've...I've for horses to work with." Ty held up the thermos. "Don't you need this?" He asked. "No. Keep it." She walked out the door, feeling the tears start to fall as soon as the door shut behind her.

Meanwhile, Ty sat very still at the table, almost wishing for another drink.


End file.
